One of British Columbia's most successful retail companies is considering drastic action in response to further delays in solving the traffic nightmare caused by the Massey Tunnel.
The CEO of London Drugs said the company is very disappointed by the B.C. government decision to go back to the drawing board when it comes to replacing the 59-year-old crossing, which connects Richmond and Delta over the Fraser River.
Clint Mahlman said his business is even considering moving its head office—which is currently located in the south end of Richmond—its distribution centre or both.
Nearly 900 employees work from the complex located near the Massey Tunnel where goods also come and go. London Drugs says congestion impacts both, adding that delays in moving products increase costs for the company.
"We have about 50 per cent of our employees live south of the Fraser, so there are employees that carpool, work off-hours and work from home," Mahlman said. "We've had employees quit over the commute."
The company's comments came just days after the province announced it would conduct another study to determine the best replacement for the aging crossing.
A technical review of the project released Monday found that a 10-lane bridge planned under the BC Liberals might be more than what's needed for the region.
"It left out a number of key considerations like community alignment, livability and cost," Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena told reporters Monday. "We heard that loud and clear from Metro Vancouver mayors."
The NDP put those plans on hold back in September 2017 and ordered an independent study of the project.
The results of the that review were released this week and recommend the province consider a new bridge or tunnel with up to eight lanes.
Trevena said the province will also look at retrofitting the existing tunnel to use alongside either option.
According to the minister, the province will begin consultations with Metro Vancouver municipalities and First Nations, and $5 million has been set aside for further engineering work.
The NDP also said a new business case for the tunnel replacement project will be developed by fall 2020.
In the meantime, Trevena said the government is "aggressively and immediately pursuing congestion relief on both sides of the river," as well spending an estimated $40 million on upgrades including lighting and drainage.
For now, London Drugs says staying is its first option, but wants some immediate help to get trucks moving.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Bhinder Sajan
